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Beatles, The - Yesterday

Chords & Piano Lesson
The Beatles - Yesterday
Hello! Below you'll find my "Yesterday" chords & lyrics chart as well as a tutorial video on how to play the piano accompaniment.
 

This song by The Beatles is an absolute timeless classic with an incredible chord progression and melody. The arrangement I teach in the video is very accurate to Paul McCartney's acoustic guitar part on the original.

Enjoy!

Lesson Video
Chord Chart

Yesterday Piano Tutorial

Here's a piano tutorial video for Yesterday:

Yesterday Chords & Lyrics

[Intro]
| F | F |

[Verse 1]
F              Em          A7                            Dm      Dm/C
Yesterday,    all my troubles seemed so far away
Bbmaj7 C7                                  F                 F/E
   Now it looks as though they're here to stay
    Dm7 G         Bb F
Oh I believe in yesterday
 
[Verse 2]
F               Em           A7
Suddenly,      I'm not half the man
   Dm          Dm/C
I used to be
Bbmaj7       C7                      F           F/E
   There's a shadow hanging over me
      Dm7    G             Bb F
Oh yesterday came suddenly
 
[Chorus]
Em7 A7  Dm Dm/C Bb Bb/A   Gm6
Why she had     to    go  I don't know
       C7          F
She wouldn't say
Em7 A7 Dm Dm/C  Bb
I     said  something  wrong
Bb/A Gm6     C7         F
Now I long for yesterday
 
[Verse 3]
F              Em               A7                 Dm             Dm/C
Yesterday,     love was such an easy game to play
Bbmaj7   C7                     F            F/E 
     Now I need a place to hide away
     Dm7 G       Bb   F
Oh I believe in yesterday
 
[Chorus]
Em7 A7  Dm Dm/C Bb Bb/A    Gm6
Why she had     to    go  I don't know
       C7           F
She wouldn't say
Em7 A7 Dm Dm/C   Bb
I      said something wrong
Bb/A  Gm6     C7       F
Now I long for yesterday

[Verse 4]
F              Em               A7                  Dm             Dm/C
Yesterday,     love was such an easy game to play
Bbmaj7 C7                      F             F/E
     Now I need a place to hide away
   Dm7  G        Bb  F
Oh I believe in yesterday
 
[Outro]
F/C        G7/B      Bb  F
mm mm mm mm mm mm mmmmmmmmm
This document is the author's own work and represents his interpretation of this song. It's intended solely for private study, scholarship or research.
This chord chart is here only to support online learning. We recommend buying official transcripts from a licensed and reputable publisher.
Yesterday Piano Tips
1. Take It Slow: It's counterintuitive, but the quickest way to get comfortable and sound great playing a song is to practice it very slowly at first. Steady rhythm and counting are crucial to sounding like a pro, so let yourself get used to feeling the beat at a slow, easy tempo. Once you can nail "Yesterday" slowly, *gradually* speed it up. You'll sound much better than if you jumped in at full speed!
 
2. Use The Pedal Wisely: Utilize the sustain pedal to connect the chords smoothly, timing your lifts with the arrival of a new chord. For help with sustain pedal timing, check out this video.  
 
3. Simplify if need be: "Yesterday" still sounds great even if you simply hold out the chords and ignore most of the rhythm patterns and extra details in the tutorial video. Feel free to keep it simple, especially if you sing while playing. As you get comfortable, you can always add the fancy stuff later.
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